On 14th August, Ambassador He Xiangdong met with Seán Crowe TD, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade. They exchanged views on the development of China-Ireland relations, parliamentary exchanges and other issues of common concern.

Ambassador He said Sino-Irish relations enjoy a sound momentum of development. Fruitful results have been achieved in various areas such as trade, investment and culture with frequent high-level exchanges. As a major political force in Ireland, Sinn Féin party plays a positive role in promoting peace and development of Ireland. Chinese side would like to strengthen the friendly exchanges with political parties of Ireland, including Sinn Féin, and make joint efforts to further develope bilateral ties. Mr. Crowe said Sinn Féin values Ireland-China relations and is committed to pushing bilateral relations to a new level.

Ambassador He briefed Mr. Crowe the current situation in Hong Kong. The so-called peaceful protests in Hong Kong has turned into violent crimes. A group of protesters disrupted traffic, assaulted civilians and attacked the police. By unleashing the wave of violence, those protesters have not only undermined Hong Kong's rule of law, social order and economy, and harmed people's livelihoods, but also challenged the constitutional principle of "one country, two systems". No civilised society or rule of law country will tolerate rampant violence. Though Hong Kong has long been faced with problems such as youth social mobility and high property price, the ultimate goal of Hong Kong citizens is peace and stability. They urge to restore of social order, solve social problems by long-term economic growth and maintain the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Some people distort the facts and intervene in Hong Kong affairs by measures resembling the period of colony and hegemony. The chaos in Hong Kong not only harms Hong Kong and China, but also undermines interests of other country in Hong Kong, which inevitably leads to resolute opposition and strong indignation of the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots. Ambassador He hoped Irish politicians can view the situation in Hong Kong from a objective and accurate perspective. Mr. Crowe thanked Ambassador for his clarification and wishes Hong Kong back to the right track as soon as possible.

They also discussed the prospects of Brexit and other topics.

Also present was Mr. Shen Mingchun, Chief of Political and Press Section of the Embassy.